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College Football Playoff 2026 NFL Draft prospects to watch in CFP quarterfinals

College Football Playoff 2026 NFL Draft prospects to watch in CFP quarterfinals

The 2025-26 College Football Playoff quarterfinals are finally here with quarterfinal matchups taking place in the Cotton, Orange, Rose, and Sugar Bowl’s. These games will take place just days before the final weekend of the NFL’s regular season and fans of eliminated teams can officially set their sights towards the 2026 NFL Draft.

We already went over some potential first-round prospects in round one a few weeks back and we’ll do the same for this slate of quarterfinal matchups taking place over the New Year’s holiday. We’ll use the big boards at both Tankathon and NFL Mock Draft Database for reference. Check out our latest 2026 NFL mock draft here.

No. 10 Miami vs. No. 2 Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. ET

Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State (Top 5)

Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami (Top 5)

Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State (Top 10)

Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State (Top 10)

Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (Top 15)

Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State (Top 20)

Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State (Late First Round)

The New Year’s Eve matchup between Miami and Ohio State will be appointment viewing if you’re an NFL Draft nerd as there’s a chance that half of the top 10 could be taking the field at AT&T Stadium. The Buckeyes have multiple players who should hear their names called early and Arvell Reese is a prospect who could potentially go No. 1 overall. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has unleashed the 6’4”, 243-pound monster this season and he’s shot up draft boards by showing off his versatility, racking up 62 combined tackles, 10 TFLs, and 6.5 sacks to earn consensus All-American honors. Former Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon has recently compared him to both Micah Parsons and Abdul Carter as an off-ball linebacker that could make an immediate impact upon entry into the league.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 06: Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) rushes into the backfield during the Big 10 Championship game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Indiana Hoosiers on December 6, 2025, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Reese could be shortly followed by a pair of potential top-10 prospects in teammates Caleb Downs and Carnell Tate. Downs is a three-time All-American at safety and earned both the Thorpe Award and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors this season as the leader of a Buckeye secondary that shut opponents down. Tate will be the latest product out of the Ohio State wide receiver factory and while he was overshadowed by Jeremiah Smith, he was still a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist in his own right with 838 receiving yards and nine touchdowns for the year. Sonny Styles and Kayden McDonald round out OSU’s group of projected first rounders and with this amount of elite talent, you can see why they are currently ranked No. 1 in defensive SP+.

On the Miami side of things, Reuben Bain Jr. could contend with Reese as the top defensive player selected in April after a dominant season where he earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year. We’ve already seen him do damage in these playoffs as he recorded three sacks and a blocked field goal in their 10-3 first-round win over Texas A&M. Meanwhile on offense, Fraincis Mauigoa has a good combination of size and speed at offensive tackle and should be the second o-lineman taken off the board behind Utah’s Spencer Fano.

No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech, 12 p.m. ET

Dante Moore, QB, Oregon (Top 10)

David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech (Top 15)

Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon (Top 20)

Matayo Uiagalelei, Edge, Oregon (Late First/Early Second)

A’Mauri Washington, DT, Oregon (Late First/Early Second)

Emmanuel Pregnon, OG, Oregon (Late First/Early Second)

Oregon buried James Madison as expected in the first round and a handful of their potential first-rounders didn’t even play that much as they were able to turn to their backups pretty early in the contest. Dante Moore did in fact play the whole game and he ended up accounting for 313 passing yards and five total touchdowns on the day with two interceptions being his lone blemishes. Some like The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner are currently projecting the Las Vegas Raiders to take him with the No. 1 overall pick and we’ll certainly be hearing his name a lot as draft season unfolds.

Texas Tech assembled one of the more disruptive defenses in the entire country this season and David Bailey has been a major force for a unit that led the entire nation in takeaways. The 6’3”, 250-pound edge rusher transferred in from Stanford this season and immediately began wrecking games for the Red Raiders, totaling 43 tackles, 13.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles to earn Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year. Analysts like NFL Draft Buzz’s Lennox Tate have lauded Bailey’s explosiveness off the first step and his ability to even drop into coverage, but still feels that he needs to bulk up a bit more when entering the league. A pass-rush needy team like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could land him in the 10-15 range, but there’s always room for him to rise.

ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 06: Texas Tech Red Raiders defensive end David Bailey (#31) runs up field during the Big 12 Championship Game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and BYU Cougars on December 6, 2025 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, TX. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 06: Texas Tech Red Raiders defensive end David Bailey (#31) runs up field during the Big 12 Championship Game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and BYU Cougars on December 6, 2025 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, TX. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 1 Indiana, 4 p.m. ET

Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana (Top 5)

Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama (Top 20)

Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama (Late First Round)

The nation will get a look at the Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza on New Year’s Day as he leads Indiana into its first Rose Bowl appearance in 58 years. The QB arrived from Cal via the transfer portal last offseason and made his mark by leading the Hoosiers to a perfect 13-0 mark, racking up 2,980 passing yards, 240 rushing yards, and 39 total touchdowns for the year. The Heisman winner was the perfect conductor of Indiana’s offense and that bears out with him ranking in the top 10 in both EPA per dropback and success rate. He has both the poise and grit of an NFL quarterback and has good size at 6’5”, 225 pounds. Like the aforementioned Dante Moore, his name has been bandied about as the potential No. 1 overall pick and he could very well be the most talked about commodity during draft season.

Meanwhile, Alabama will be putting two potential first rounders on the field in Ty Simpson and Kadyn Proctor. We saw both men help lead the Crimson Tide to a 34-24 road win over Oklahoma in the first round, with Simpson throwing for 232 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Alabama will be getting offensive tackle LT Overton back after missing the first round with an illness. Overton is projected as an early second round prospect, but can always boost his stock over the next three months.

No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Georgia, 8 p.m. ET

C.J. Allen, LB, Georgia (Late First Round)

It feels strange to see a lack of first-rounders in a game involving Georgia and C.J. Allen will be the only projected Night 1 selection to be showcased in the Sugar Bowl. The 6’1”, 235-pound linebacker earned consensus All-American status this year with a strong campaign where he tallied 85 combined tackles, eight TFLs, four passes defended, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a partridge in a pear tree. Analysts have praised traits of his like closing speed and tackling technique and some even identified him a draft sleeper before the start of the season. If you’re a fan of one of the current Super Bowl contenders in the NFL, you could be landing Allen’s services at the end of the first rounf.

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When I arrived to cover the Minnesota Vikings for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in 2000, it was clear I was dealing with a star-studded roster.

The team boasted future Pro Football Hall of Famers; wide receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss and defensive tackle John Randle. Plus, there were a ton of other stars including quarterback Daunte Culpepper, center Matt Birk and running back Robert Smith. The Vikings were loaded with star power.

The talent around the team wasn’t relegated simply to the roster, however.

That summer I first laid my eyes on a 16-year-old high school junior named Larry Fitzgerald Jr. The son of a local media member and close friend of Vikings’ head coach Dennis Green, Little Fitzy was a ball boy during training camp and on game days. It turns out, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is very likely the most famous former NFL ball boy in history.

On reporting date, fellow reporter Kevin Seifert pointed out Fitzgerald to me and said “that’s a bad man.” Seifert didn’t say that about any of the actual Vikings that day.

Fitzgerald was already known as the best Minnesota high school prospect in years and he was considered one of the best high school players in the country. Seifert told me the buzz was that the kid was, no doubt, headed to the NFL in a half decade or so. Seifert was on the money. I’m not sure the Hall of Fame was mentioned or not.

But this weekend of course, that’s exactly where Little Fitzy is headed. He will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Fitzgerald will be remembered as one of the best and most productive wide receivers in league history after an incredible 17-season career with the Arizona Cardinals.

I have a ton of memories of being around Fitzgerald, but there’s one that stands out among them all.

One day after training camp, a nameless Vikings’ wide receiver camp body was getting extra work on a JUGS machine, catching balls. He was being tutored by Fitzgerald, who was showing this player how to properly approach the incoming ball. This was a child instructing a grown man an NFL team deemed good enough to attend training camp.

Larry Fitzgerald Jr. was special even back then.

In addition to his incredible natural football ability, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. stood out for his politeness and good nature. You could tell he was a good kid from the first time you met him.

There was no I’m-going-to-be-a-star attitude. He was genuine and he worked his tail off with the rest of the ball boys. There was no entitlement. It was as if he was using his time around an NFL camp as an internship for his future. He passed with flying colors.

I’ve always cherished following his career from his days at Pittsburgh in college to his days of dominating the NFL and I’ve enjoyed running into him over the years now and again.

Enjoy Canton, Little Fitzy, you’ve earned it.

#Larry #Fitzgeralds #Hall #Fame #induction #years #making">Larry Fitzgerald’s Hall of Fame induction is 25 years in the making  When I arrived to cover the Minnesota Vikings for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in 2000, it was clear I was dealing with a star-studded roster.The team boasted future Pro Football Hall of Famers; wide receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss and defensive tackle John Randle. Plus, there were a ton of other stars including quarterback Daunte Culpepper, center Matt Birk and running back Robert Smith. The Vikings were loaded with star power.The talent around the team wasn’t relegated simply to the roster, however.That summer I first laid my eyes on a 16-year-old high school junior named Larry Fitzgerald Jr. The son of a local media member and close friend of Vikings’ head coach Dennis Green, Little Fitzy was a ball boy during training camp and on game days. It turns out, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is very likely the most famous former NFL ball boy in history.On reporting date, fellow reporter Kevin Seifert pointed out Fitzgerald to me and said “that’s a bad man.” Seifert didn’t say that about any of the actual Vikings that day.Fitzgerald was already known as the best Minnesota high school prospect in years and he was considered one of the best high school players in the country. Seifert told me the buzz was that the kid was, no doubt, headed to the NFL in a half decade or so. Seifert was on the money. I’m not sure the Hall of Fame was mentioned or not.But this weekend of course, that’s exactly where Little Fitzy is headed. He will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.Fitzgerald will be remembered as one of the best and most productive wide receivers in league history after an incredible 17-season career with the Arizona Cardinals.I have a ton of memories of being around Fitzgerald, but there’s one that stands out among them all.One day after training camp, a nameless Vikings’ wide receiver camp body was getting extra work on a JUGS machine, catching balls. He was being tutored by Fitzgerald, who was showing this player how to properly approach the incoming ball. This was a child instructing a grown man an NFL team deemed good enough to attend training camp.Larry Fitzgerald Jr. was special even back then.In addition to his incredible natural football ability, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. stood out for his politeness and good nature. You could tell he was a good kid from the first time you met him.There was no I’m-going-to-be-a-star attitude. He was genuine and he worked his tail off with the rest of the ball boys. There was no entitlement. It was as if he was using his time around an NFL camp as an internship for his future. He passed with flying colors.I’ve always cherished following his career from his days at Pittsburgh in college to his days of dominating the NFL and I’ve enjoyed running into him over the years now and again.Enjoy Canton, Little Fitzy, you’ve earned it.  #Larry #Fitzgeralds #Hall #Fame #induction #years #making

Follow Sportstar for extensive coverage of the tenth edition of the TNPL, from live scores and match reports to exclusive analysis and features.

TOSS

Tiruppur Tamizhans won the toss and chose to bowl first.

PLAYING XIs

Nellai Royal Kings: Athish SR(w), D Santhosh Kumar, Ajitesh Guruswamy, U Mukilesh, Rithik Easwaran, Sonu Yadav(c), Muhammed Adnan Khan, Ramalingam Rohit, Emmanuel Cherian, NS Harish, Rocky Bhasker

Tiruppur Tamizhans: Tushar Raheja(w), Amit Sathvik, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Mohamed Ali, Uthirasamy Sasidev, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore(c), M Mathivannan, S Mohan Prasath, R Silambarasan, Esakkimuthu A, T Natarajan

Published on Aug 09, 2026

#TNPL #Live #Allround #batting #display #propels #Nellai #Royal #Kings">TNPL 2026 Live: All-round batting display propels Nellai Royal Kings to 206/8  Follow Sportstar for extensive coverage of the tenth edition of the TNPL, from live scores and match reports to exclusive analysis and features.TOSSTiruppur Tamizhans won the toss and chose to bowl first.PLAYING XIsNellai Royal Kings: Athish SR(w), D Santhosh Kumar, Ajitesh Guruswamy, U Mukilesh, Rithik Easwaran, Sonu Yadav(c), Muhammed Adnan Khan, Ramalingam Rohit, Emmanuel Cherian, NS Harish, Rocky BhaskerTiruppur Tamizhans: Tushar Raheja(w), Amit Sathvik, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Mohamed Ali, Uthirasamy Sasidev, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore(c), M Mathivannan, S Mohan Prasath, R Silambarasan, Esakkimuthu A, T NatarajanPublished on Aug 09, 2026  #TNPL #Live #Allround #batting #display #propels #Nellai #Royal #Kings

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